I understand children having boundless energy, however children having boundless energy is very different from children being wild, unruly and undisciplined, running around screaming and making a nuisance of themselves where they shouldn’t. They want to do it in their homes? Fine. But in public places, or places where everyone else is entitled not to have to endure their chaos? You’re right, I have zero sympathy there. If parents are unable to control their kids, they have a big problem. But it is THEIR problem. I personally (and childfree people generally) don’t see why we should be inflicted with their uncontrollable kids – seeing that we have chosen not to have any ourselves. I have never been childless. But I’ve always been childfree.

Not sure why I am attempting to make sense of this, as if you have no children it is impossible to understand. I can remember a time when I was childless, and I also found the above annoying! Now I have every sympathy for many of these people…

I went to a PG-13 movie and the couple in front of us had twin 2-year-olds. They made sure the kids were free before asking for their tickets, because they were too cheap to pay for seats for their kids. If they charged for kids to get into movies, I think you’d see less kids in the theater. Parents would pout, but then wait for the DVD to come out. (For the record, the twins were quiet through the whole movie, amazingly).

I saw a stroller recently in a grocery store — the woman pushed her stroller and the grocery cart both. And she struggled with it and was blocking all the aisles. UG! Hello, you can put your child in the grocery cart — that’s what the child seat is for!! I hate strollers with a passion. I wish they were banned from any indoor public place. I’m not too keen on them outdoors, but I’ll tolerate them.

So many times, I have to shake my head at the irresponsibility of some parents, especially in a retail environment where I work. I usually have some good stories to tell the wife when she gets home!

Thanks for the sig, too!

Most UK movie theatres now have a ‘gallery’ section at the back where you can have more comfortable seats for a premium. Why can’t we also have a parent and child zone at the front with an aisle worth of gap to separate the two sections. We have parent and child parking at supermarkets for their convenience, so in other public places how about also taking into consideration the needs of non-parents?

When I was at school, my friends and I were not allowed to stay out after 9pm. I see kids wandering the streets in my town as late as midnight. And even if they are just walking home home from a friends house, why are they walking late at night? Parents can be so naive about what children get up to, I guess because most parents look at their offspring and see nothing but little angels.

I like children, I do, really. I don’t think it’s much to ask of parents to control their kids in public.